Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew comes to life at the Bernie Legge Theatre tomorrow night.
The play is being put on by Alchemy Theatre and Vagabond Players as part of their summer theatre schedule.
Directed by Matthew Davenport, the storyline – featuring a gender-swapped cast – involves two brothers who are being married off. There’s Bernardo, the youngest, who’s hell-bent on marriage and can’t wait to fly the nest.
His older brother, Kristopher, balks at the thought of losing his independence and struggles to think of anything worse. But there’s a catch. Kristopher has to marry first in order for Bernardo, who has no shortage of offers, to be allowed to wed.
“This summer’s version of The Taming of the Shrew will challenge gender stereotypes while losing none of its original power to provoke and sometimes outrage. First comes love, then comes marriage? Not according to William Shakespeare. Let the battle begin,” reads a teaser.
Local actors include Jeremy Heynen (Tailor) and Michelle Cyr (Bernadetta). Costume designer Angie Koropatnisky and stage manager Julien Legere also hail from the Royal City.
Tickets cost between $10 and $15. The show runs from Aug. 4 to Aug. 21, with evening shows starting at 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. To reserve, call 604-521-0412 or visit alchemytheatre.ca/tickets. The Bernie Legge Theatre is at Queen’s Park.
Take your kids to get messy with sand
The Arts Council of New Westminster and Royal City Centre have teamed up to put on a series of free workshops on the first Sunday of every month.
The first Arts ToGo session is on Sunday, Aug. 7 and will feature local artist Roger Lee, who will be teaching kids how to do sand art. It’s all happening at the mall between noon and 3 p.m. Make note that parent supervision is required. The next workshops are as follows: Sept. 4, Oct. 2 and Nov. 6 (same time). Each workshop will have a different theme. Those will be announced at a later date. For more information, email [email protected] or call 604-525-3244.
Drop-in yoga
Start off your Saturday morning with free yoga at River Market.
The gentle flow session incorporates a lot of meditation and is accessible to all levels. Bring your own mat to the class, which runs from 8 to 9 a.m.
The River Market is at 810 Quayside Dr.
Get creative outside
This one’s great for the kids. Everyone's invited to another Community Art in the Park event next Tuesday, spearheaded by artist Karen Justice. The theme is "Mask Mania," so children are encouraged to get creative with glitter, paint and feathers. Participation is free, made possible through a Vancouver Foundation Neighbourhood Small Grant.
The Aug. 9 event is on from 6 to 8 p.m., outside at the Ryall Park outdoor stage (located outside the Queensborough Community Centre).
New local music
A shout out goes to New Westminster indie band KICK in the EYE, who recently released a new CD.
KICK in the EYE is Canadian contains 20 tracks that “celebrate the people, places and ideas of Canada,” states a press release. Lyrics cover a gamut of people and topics – everything from David Suzuki and the Canucks to the Fraser River and the Sasquatch. The double album is split into two groups: one more distinctly rock and roll and one more country and blues.
The band is made up of husband-wife-duo Donnie Lochrie (guitar, keys, vocals) and Marian Lochrie (bass, vocals). If you’d like to have a listen to their music, head over to their website, kickintheeye.ca.
Congrats, guys!
